Madeleine Albright, who became the first female U.S. Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in government in 1997, is frightened by the possibility that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain's running mate, could assume the presidency.

Asked today in an interview with Plain Dealer editors and reporters if she is scared by the prospect of Palin being a heartbeat away, Albright, who has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama, responded without hesitating, "Yes. Yes."

"Having served two presidents, I think the job of the president is the most difficult job in the world," said Albright, who advised President Carter on national security and foreign policy and later President Clinton as secretary of state. "What you need in a vice president -- and I've felt this for a long time because I've watched [Vice President Walter] Mondale and [Vice President] Al Gore -- is that you need a partner. The job is huge and needs somebody not only for the heartbeat part but in the day-to-day governance.

"Gore went a step further of being almost like a prime minister ... taking away the underbrush of issues to do with how two countries relate to each other. So you need somebody that actually knows what they are doing. I see that with the Obama-Joe Biden relationship. I certainly don't see it in the McCain-Palin relationship."

Palin's inarticulate answers on foreign policy questions in recent interviews have become fodder for critics and comedians, especially Tina Fey, who received wide attention for her uncanny caricature of Palin on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

"I have to say I feel sorry for her for being made fun of on 'Saturday Night Live,' " Albright said. "We all who have been in public have had moments where somebody has caricatured us ... and kinda, you think, 'That's not really me.' "

Albright, who endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the primary, was in Cleveland to give a speech on foreign policy at Cleveland's City Club.

UPDATE:

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright told a packed Cleveland City Club audience Tuesday that America's next president should draw a short list of goals for his first term in office.

Dealing with the current economic crisis and pulling troops out of Iraq should be on that list, Albright said. Iraqi's, who are pushing for U.S. troops, need to defend themselves, Albright said.

"American muscle cannot substitute for Iraqi spine," she said.

Albright, who was also campaigning for Obama today, said other countries are watching to see how we will deal with the credit and financial crises.

"We need foreign help," she said. "Restoring confidence in the economy will be the main goal."

She described McCain, as someone whose dated foreign policy experience would not serve him well in the White House.

"He is really knowledgeable about yesterday," Albright said. "We need to an approach about today and tomorrow."

McCain's criticism of Obama for saying he would talk directly with foreign leaders was misplaced in this new century, she said. She said five former secretaries of state met recently and all agreed that the U.S. should talk to Iran without preconditions.

"I happen to believe you should talk to people you don't like," Albright said.

She was asked what she thought of the "Bush Doctrine," which calls for preemptive strikes to protect American. Albright focused quickly on a key problem with that stance.

"The real problem with the whole issue of preemption is the Achilles' Heel of intelligence," she said.

A preemptive strike based on bad intelligence can cause major problems, she said.

In her only direct reference to McCain's vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, Albright said she didn't blame Palin for being confused about the "doctrine." Albright said the U.S. needed to move away from preemption, with out surrendering the right to use it altogether. -- Plain Dealer Terry Oblander

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